[Justgothere]

Hi, we have a new BMW and we’ve been parking it in our garage. And we found mice droppings inside and a couple of granola bars ripped apart. We have been reading articles and we’re terrified that maybe they are also chewing through wires, air cabin filters, etc. Some bad stories out there. I called our car insurance and they said if anything major happened, it would be covered under comprehensive. They also said there’s a spray we can find to spray under the hood (safe for engines.)

Would the BMW dealer do a full check for me, to ensure no wires/filters were chewed and there is no nest?

Any advice moving forward? Thank you.

[machop]

This normally happens more often when you park car outside, and when it's cold.

I'd go check your garage and get rid of rats first. They may cause other damages. Then just rat-proof things: adding mesh, block holes, etc.

[X6ix GTA]

Originally Posted by Justgothere

Hi, we have a new BMW and we’ve been parking it in our garage. And we found mice droppings inside and a couple of granola bars ripped apart. We have been reading articles and we’re terrified that maybe they are also chewing through wires, air cabin filters, etc. Some bad stories out there. I called our car insurance and they said if anything major happened, it would be covered under comprehensive. They also said there’s a spray we can find to spray under the hood (safe for engines.)

Would the BMW dealer do a full check for me, to ensure no wires/filters were chewed and there is no nest?

Any advice moving forward? Thank you.

My car is parked outside. Within a month of ownership, I noticed mice (perhaps squirrel) droppings/foot prints on the engine cover. Tried various remedies. At the end the only thing that worked was adding this device to the engine bay. It's connected to the battery terminals.

[B767capt]

Happened to my mom's 2019 7 series. Couldn't turn the steering pulling out of the garage. 31K later and a 3 month wait on the handmade wiring harness from Germany, insurance covered it. They had to pull the whole body off the frame.

[charlie fairmont]

Garage cat

[MJBradley1967]

Or....

[rlou]

Unfortunately I experienced a rat issue in my garage several years ago. My Mini Cooper and Dodge Challenger at the time were both garaged vehicles and the event happened in the winter months. First became aware of the issue when the check engine light came on in my Mini. Took it to the dealer and was informed it was a rodent problem. Apparently, they were coming into the engine compartment after being parked as they like the warmth, made a nest in my air filter box, and proceeded to chew through a significant portion of a wiring harness. Around $2k later the Mini was back in service with a new wire harness installed.

Dodge Challenger also affected, but lucky that the dealership was able to repair just some individual wires instead of an entire harness. I think that repair was <$1k.

After getting both vehicles repaired, I spent the next ~2 weeks setting up various traps, etc and staking out my garage. In the end, I was able to catch/kill 2 large rats that were the culprits. They had made a nest underneath a freezer in the garage (near the warmth of the motor) and once I figured that out I was able to exterminate them.

Long story short, I'd take aggressive action to find & exterminate the rodent(s)! From my experience, they seem to gravitate towards warmth.

Good luck!

[BRB-Prsch928S]

Originally Posted by Justgothere

And we found mice droppings inside and a couple of granola bars ripped apart.

Did you find these inside the interior of the car, or under the hood? If the interior, then I think they must have chewed through something to get there (cabin filter?), and I would definitely find their entry point. Where were the granola bars originally?

And then find a way to eliminate them from your garage, as others have said.

[davchr]

Originally Posted by Justgothere

Hi, we have a new BMW and we’ve been parking it in our garage. And we found mice droppings inside and a couple of granola bars ripped apart. We have been reading articles and we’re terrified that maybe they are also chewing through wires, air cabin filters, etc. Some bad stories out there. I called our car insurance and they said if anything major happened, it would be covered under comprehensive. They also said there’s a spray we can find to spray under the hood (safe for engines.)

Would the BMW dealer do a full check for me, to ensure no wires/filters were chewed and there is no nest?

Any advice moving forward? Thank you.

Trap the rodents and figure out where they are getting in. If you have a problem once it will be a continuous one so keep the traps baited and set. Everyone one has their favorite bait and trap. I like peanut butter and snap traps. Depending on where they are located I often catch more lizards and small birds than vermin in the snap trap. Another favorite is the "walk the plank" trap. They self reset and I have never caught a good critter in them.

[denaliman]

Mouse blocker worked well for a friend of mine after over $8000 damage from wire chewing. New wire loom and all the labor costs on a mazda. Personally I use peppermint spray inside the garage and in engine bay. Just buy peppermint extract off amazon, mix with water and spray.
https://mouseblocker.ca/

[eluded]

Have you tried MJBradley1967's method. It's very effective. Mice are not rats and thus do not have PhD's. They're not so bright.

Originally Posted by X6ix GTA

Tried various remedies.

[X6ix GTA]

Originally Posted by eluded

Have you tried MJBradley1967's method. It's very effective. Mice are not rats and thus do not have PhD's. They're not so bright.

Hah, no. Since I wasn't sure about the culprit and it was an open area unlike a garage, didn't even consider this option. The electronic device has worked well.

[Condorll]

Auto manufacturers have switched to soy based wiring insulation, tasty stuff for rodents.

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by Justgothere

Hi, we have a new BMW and we’ve been parking it in our garage. And we found mice droppings inside and a couple of granola bars ripped apart. We have been reading articles and we’re terrified that maybe they are also chewing through wires, air cabin filters, etc. Some bad stories out there. I called our car insurance and they said if anything major happened, it would be covered under comprehensive. They also said there’s a spray we can find to spray under the hood (safe for engines.)

Would the BMW dealer do a full check for me, to ensure no wires/filters were chewed and there is no nest?

Any advice moving forward? Thank you.

8000 volts, quick, simple, effective. Bait with peanut butter, they love it. Amazon has several to choose from. Mine are from Hoont but they are no longer available on Amazon.

.

[LDT]

I had this a couple years ago when mice built a nest on top of the front kick plate of my wife’s A5 (no damage) and also chewed some driver assistance related wires in my Cayenne. The dash lit up like a Christmas tree with warning lights. $750 to repair the wiring.
I found that mice were entering the garage via a louvered vent and had chewed through the screen. I replaced the screen with heavy duty mesh screen and eliminated their point of entry. Although we had no food in our vehicles the #1 remedy is never leave any food in your car.
I store my golf clubs at our clubhouse bag room. Left a couple of snacks in the bag and mice chewed a hole in the bag and had lunch. Lesson learned. They seek warmth in cooler weather and food in all kinds of weather.

[CGG]

I am fortunate to live in a place that is rat free. Alberta, which is the size of Texas, has a rat border patrol to keep the rats out. Except for the polar regions, Alberta is the only place in the world without rats. Strange but true.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada...banish-the-rat

[LDT]

Originally Posted by CGG

I am fortunate to live in a place that is rat free. Alberta, which is the size of Texas, has a rat border patrol to keep the rats out. Except for the polar regions, Alberta is the only place in the world without rats. Strange but true.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada...banish-the-rat

Can we re-deploy your rat patrol to our southern border?

[eelnoraa]

Bmw will not have the capability check the whole car for this. If they were to take the job, they will just glance and call it done. Cost is on the owner. Because after all, this is not an warranty issue.

But if OP will back up a bit, the issue is actually much bigger than bmw. You home has rat issue. I would first hire pest control to take care of this first.

[David3]

My guess is the mouse got in while a door was left open. Don't see how they can get into a modern car otherwise. I believe the outside air vent door closes when the car goes to sleep. If not, the car interior would get damp, etc.

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by David3

My guess is the mouse got in while a door was left open. Don't see how they can get into a modern car otherwise. I believe the outside air vent door closes when the car goes to sleep. If not, the car interior would get damp, etc.

You will probably never know how they got in but the thing is if you have mice around, they can very easily get up into your engine compartment where they can have a field day chewing whatever they want. The best medicine is prevention. Get rid of them.

[Lovelynnov]

Dealing with mice in your new BMW must be frustrating. It's good that your car insurance covers major issues under comprehensive. As for getting a full check at the BMW dealer, it's worth asking. They should be able to inspect for any damage and nests.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by David3

My guess is the mouse got in while a door was left open. Don't see how they can get into a modern car otherwise. I believe the outside air vent door closes when the car goes to sleep. If not, the car interior would get damp, etc.

They can easily chew through the plastic air-pass-through vents that are hidden between the interior panels and fenders...usually in the rear (trunk/cargo) area behind the interior panels.

There was a thread that showed how the varmint chewed one of the flaps. I'll see if I can find that thread and post a link and pics.

EDIT: Here's a link to a thread on the X3 forum on how a forum member fixed his rodent problem: https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/f...vents.1446642/

And here's some pics of how mice (or other rodents) can chew through the plastic air vent flaps



What was done to help prevent access: (installed ¼" mesh wire)